South Africa Johannesburg Mission: 31 October-9 November 2017 Interviews & Training

As President Leavitt held interviews, I first did training on the Christmas Initiative that our missionaries had viewed a 30-minute training video on at Zone Conferences. I showed them the downloaded materials that were available, and we gave each missionary 75 #LightTheWorld pass-along cards. We talked about what their branches or wards had done on the 5th Sunday, the 29th of October, to introduce this year's two Christmas Initiatives, and what they could do within their branches, zones, districts and companionships to invite others be ready to:

1. follow the example of and share the light of Jesus Christ with others during the Christmas holiday season using #LightTheWorld on social media postings, and

2. participate, beginning December 1, appropriately in daily service activities that coincide with the additional In '25 Ways, Over 25 Days' initiative. This secondary initiative helps reinforce the Savior's supreme example of loving and serving others. Members, missionaries, investigators and others are invited to follow His example serving others during the days leading up to Christmas Day. A service-themed scripture is featured each day from December 1 through Christmas Day. Those who can are encouraged daily to go to Mormon.org and read the scripture for that day, watch a short example video clip, and view suggestions of service matching the scripture. They would pick a service activity to do that day. When completed and where appropriate, they could share with others their uplifting experiences, blessings and feelings on their social media using #LightTheWorld.

I showed them the materials available online--including an animated digital pass-along card. After we finished with the Christmas Initiative discussions, each group viewed a 14-minute cleaning video filmed by BYU and the MTC in 1984--the styles are different, but the cleaning is pretty much the same. I had many of the cleaning products and tools they can order from Sister Hunt. We reviewed what each product can clean. We want them to have clean apartments. Then I took a video of each missionary teaching us how to make a bed, clean a toilet fridge or oven using props.

Unfortunately, the videos are too long to put on this blog, but here are pictures of a few of the missionaries teaching us that I took along the way (sometimes taking pictures instead of video). Also, zone leaders stayed most of the day to help be the interview time-keepers and let people in and out of the gate when I was busy with training and food. The missionaries said they all learned cleaning tips from the video. We had a fun time having them teach us how to clean.

JO 31 October